For 8th grader Jada Krinke,“It’s cool and fun but scary sometimes” to be on a varsity Bomber Dance Team. “One challenge is body control, because girls at this age are growing and need to learn to control their bodies,” according to varsity Bomber Dance Team head coach Jamie Swenning .  Practicing approximately  19 hours a week from October to February can be tiring. With practices Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 3:15-6 pm , Wednesday from 6-7:15 am and 3:15-5 pm, and Saturday from 8-12 am, it would be very hard to do other activities at the same time. Being on a varsity sport in middle school can be extremely hard, but it has many advantages.

According to coach Swenning, there are also lots of positives. “They learn to carry themselves and can use these skills for a longer period of time,” she said. Young varsity dancers can grow into even better dancers and leaders. For example, captains McKenna  Bauer and Emerson Ulrich made the varsity dance team in 8th grade, and Kendra Lecy moved up to varsity as a 7th grader.

It is quite unique for three middle schoolers to be on a varsity team. In football, baseball, volleyball, basketball, and most other sports, they do not include middle schoolers on their varsity teams. For 8th grader Olivia Johnson, “It can be intimidating sometimes, but it’s nice because you can get advice.”

The middle school dancers will be dancing in many of the up coming performances and competitions, including the Fall Preview on November 14, 2015, the Cannon Falls Invitational on January 16, and the HVL Conference Meet on January 22, which are all at home. Other competitions include the Apple Valley Invitational on December 5,  the Fridley Invitational on December 12, the Bold Invitational on December 19, the Alexandria Invitational on January 9, the Sections 2A Meet on February 6,  and, fingers crossed, State Jazz on February 12, as well as State High Kick on February 13. Even though being in a varsity sport can be very difficult, it can have some big advantages.